Following five-star, sold-out hit Lessons on Revolution, Carmen Collective return with the world debut of Gameplay: an audio-described myth for the end times, possibly featuring Daily Mail critic Quentin Letts. Racing through history, into the contemporary, and far into the future, Gameplay is a powerful shot of experimental performance featuring acclaimed theatre-maker Sam Rees and world-renowned sound artist AJ Turner.
Review by Richard Lambert
Gameplay is billed as an accessible piece of theatre, but I came away wondering where the theatre had gone.
The set is very simple. There is a table and a music stand, while the lighting is mostly just lights up and lights down. The cast wear black suits. The violin was probably my favourite part of the show and gave it some much-needed atmosphere.
For me, though, this felt much more like a radio play than a piece of live theatre. There was very little movement and not much happening visually. The performances were good vocally, including a strong voice coming through the speaker, but I found the story quite confusing and struggled to work out where it was going.
I also found myself thinking about the show’s claim to be accessible. It is a shame that a production about access is being performed on the first floor, with a staircase as the only way up. More importantly, I don’t think accessibility has to mean taking away the things that make theatre interesting. You can have accessible theatre and still have movement, design, atmosphere and visual ideas.
Sadly, Gameplay felt rather plain. The basic idea has merit, but for me it never quite came together as a live theatre experience. I left feeling that I would probably have got much the same experience listening to it as a radio play.
Cast:
Sam Rees – Writer & Performer
AJ Turner – Sound Designer & Performer
Creatives:
Ella Dale – Creative Producer
Rio Matchett – Dramaturg
Sam Brewer – Access Consultant
Euan Jackson – Lighting Designer
Part of the Main – Audio Description Consultant
Roz Chalmers MBE – Audio Description Consultant